If you’re having a hard time deciding what style and size of DJ speakers you need, maybe this article will help you out. There’s a lot to consider before you make a decision and go in a certain direction with your DJ equipment purchases. Not only is the gear a factor, but how it will interface with your vehicle, gigs, and budget.

To start, how big of speakers do you need? Answer: How big are the rooms you work?

DJ speaker packages that include subwoofers often use small main speakers (8-10" woofers) and let the sub do most of the work. If you are playing larger rooms you’ll probably need mains with 12-15" woofers and a sub or two. Subwoofers use 15-18" speakers, with the 18" having a lower frequency response.

Passive, full range speakers need a power amplifier and speaker cords to work and the speakers have a built-in crossover that separates high and low frequencies. The speaker has one cord running to it from the amplifier located near the DJ mixer, in a normal setup. Passive speakers are going to be lighter to transport and lift because they don’t have an amp in it, so you will have to take an amp to power them. You can also add two more speakers to the one amp in most cases*, with a short speaker cord daisy-chained from another speaker. Be sure and use good speaker cables, not lamp cord.

Note - Using an under powered amplifier with passive speakers and pushing it to the max will blow them both; the heat from the amp overworking will shut it down, and the distorted signal from the amp will take out the speakers. Always use a power amp rated for the same, or a little more, power than the speakers. You want clean volume and you need some amp headroom available for that.

Powered speakers usually use a ¼" guitar cord or XLR input, plus an AC power cord running to it. If the DJ mixer doesn’t have balanced outputs you will need a -10/+4 box to balance and kick up the signal volume. Or if the inputs are on the sub, it will have to be located near the DJ mixer (